Lal was so welcoming, and couldn't do enough for us. He seemed to take a personal pride in how our stay was going, and was keen to help arrange things for us so we could make the most of our time there. He arranged a safari trip to Minneriya National Park, with his friend Kamal ( I think!), who was very safety-conscious, and gave us a good view of the elephants without going as dangerously close as some of the over-keen drivers we saw. When the local cash-machine ran out of money, and we thought we might not have enough for the safari he offered to run us to the nearest town so we didn't miss out I think Lal is probably a pillar of his community, as everyone in Sigiriya seems to know him.

well, we didn't stay for as long as we'd intended, as my daughter wanted to move on into the hill country, so we don't have much to report about. The accommodation was very clean and comfortable, and we were given a lovely fresh cup of tea when we got there, which was a very welcome touch.